Lost and Found
by Kankokujinpoi
Summary: In which Kuroo finds Tsukishima's Mp3 player after training camp.


At the end of any week-long training camp Kuroo Testorou wants to do nothing except crawl into his own bed at his own house and sleep for as long as his parents will let him. His record best is 15 hours. He almost received an after school detention for being late to school, but it was worth it.

But this time, instead of eating two of his mother's half pound hamburgers (a tradition after a long training camp) and falling into his bed, Kuroo is wide awake. Sitting at his desk. Hamburger untouched. His mother let him take his meal upstairs, worried that her son had pushed himself at his training camp a little too far this time. Instead of his usual talkative self, yawning the whole way through his stories of training camp, Kuroo is silent at the table, barely touching his plate.

But the real reason why Kuroo is acting so strange?

The little device sitting on his desk. Kuroo has it propped up against his school books so he can see his reflection in the blank screen. The headphones wrapped around the middle of the device cut his reflection off at his nose.

He picks up the device and flips it over. The back of the device is just as reflective as the front. Instead of a dark screen it's a smooth, shiny metal. He runs his thumb over the engraved name on the bottom left hand corner and can't help but smile.

 _Tsukishima, K._

He found it when he was making his rounds through all of the sleeping areas. How Tsukishima forgot his mp3 player is beyond Kuroo. Although thinking about it now, Karasuno was in a hurry to catch the last train back to Miyagi. Tsukishima especially had little time to pack his things. He had been with Kuroo, Bokuto, and Akaashi in the Fukurodani room watching the two co-captains pack when Yamaguchi rushed in. Kuroo hardly had any time to say goodbye to the younger boy. Just when he thought things between the two were going well...

He was kind of hoping to get his number this time.

But by the time Kuroo caught up with the two first years they were already on their way out. No time for a goodbye hug, a snide comment, or even a scoff. He's convinced Tsukishima would have agreed this time. Not that Kuroo has ever asked Tsukishima for his number, he's smarter than that. Kuroo can be persistent but he doesn't want to be obvious. Obnoxious. He doesn't want to be obnoxious. So he waited for his moment. Karasuno's fifth time at Nekoma's training camp.

The first few visits Tsukishima was less than thrilled to work with the third years from Nekoma and Fukurodani. Then, just when Kuroo felt that he should start backing off from the younger boy, it was Tsukishima that approached Kuroo that third visit. First it was strictly during practice times. The fourth visit brought outside practice moments.

Kuroo had been sitting with Akaashi and Bokuto during breakfast. Being third years, they had bathroom privileges, consequently giving them breakfast privileges. By the time most of the third year players were finished eating the first year players were just now getting their food. It was the first day of camp, so the three friends were taking their time eating and catching up with each other. Kuroo remembers giving Bokuto crap for one of his spikes he heard about during a game the previous week when suddenly Tsukishima was there to bring up an awful serve Kuroo biffed during one of his own games.

Kuroo found out later that Tsukishima only joined them for breakfast because Yamaguchi had slept in late, but instead of Tsukishima joining them for breakfast it became Tsukishima and Yamaguchi joining them for breakfast. Which no one minded at all. Akaashi even invited the freckled boy to practice with them after the practice matches, but the younger boy politely declined, mentioning practice of his own he needs to work on.

So by the fifth visit, Kuroo felt really confident that Tsukishima wouldn't laugh in his face when he asked for his number.

But he waited too long. Missed his chance. Kuroo found it unusual that Tsukishima wanted to hang out after the barbecue anyway. Maybe he was waiting for something to happen, too?

Well it doesn't matter anyway, now. Tsukishima is back in Miyagi and Kuroo is still in Tokyo. But so is Tsukishima's mp3 player. When he first found the mp3 player he knew it had to be Tsukishima's. How the headphones were neatly wrapped, the pristine condition of the device. He quickly hid his new treasure, making sure no one else saw what he had found. He needed time to think about his gift from the gods. He needed to form a strategy.

It's not as simple as asking Kenma to ask shrimpy for Tsukishima's number. What would he say? 'Hey, it's Kuroo, you left your mp3 player here, what would you like me to do with it?' Pfft. No. Way. He doesn't want to look desperate or anything.

Plus.

Kuroo really, _really_ wants to know what Tsukishima is always listening to. The minute the Karasuno boys step off the bus Kuroo sees Tsukishima rolling his headphones around his mp3 player. The minute the Karasuno boys step onto the bus to the train station Kuroo sees Tsukishima unrolling his headphones from around his mp3 player. The first few trips Kuroo noticed he had actual headphones and not the earbuds that are wrapped around his mp3 now.

When Kuroo asked about the change Tsukishima told him that on the way back from a game Hinata and Kageyama had been arguing about something and one of them ended up throwing a water bottle at the other, Tsukishima's headphones being an unfortunate casualty. On his head. Tsukishima was shocked. Literally shocked and from then on he started using earbuds for away matches, not wanting to risk any more of his good headphones. When Kuroo asked how many 'good headphones' Tsukishima had the younger boy proceeded to drown him out with his mp3.

But he knows it's an invasion of privacy to snoop through someone's personal device. He probably has a lock on it anyway, but in the event it doesn't...

Kuroo can't risk it.

So that's why he's just sitting at his desk, mp3 player in hand.

All he has to do is touch one button to wake up the device, swipe the screen once, and see what it has to offer. If it offers Kuroo the music library of Tsukishima Kei, he's not sure he could refuse. If it offers a number pad then so be it. Knowing Tsukishima he'll put more than just a simple number lock on the device. He probably has one of the locks on it that you have to solve a math equation to get access.

Kuroo just so happens to be in a university level math class. Not to brag or anything, but he's pretty dang good with numbers.

Why does it matter? It doesn't matter. Kuroo isn't going to touch a single button on the device. He's just going to casually bring up to Kenma that he found an mp3 player in the Karasuno sleeping area and to ask his friend if anyone from his school is missing one. There.

No one has to know that Kuroo knows it's Tsukishima's. No one has to know how many times he's run his thumb across the engraved name on the back. No one. And this way he might even get a text message from Tsukishima first. Wouldn't that be convenient.

Now that it's decided Kuroo should be able to relax and let himself sleep off his sore muscles, but his eyes, even in the darkness of his room, are still glued to the mp3 played on his desk. He's not sure why, it's not like the device will just turn on by itself.

The only light coming from his room at this point is his alarm clock on his night stand.

02:43am

So much for breaking sleeping records tonight.

Kuroo makes it to school on time, but get's a mark in his English class for sleeping. English is the only class he has with Kenma (Kenma's a smart kid, and watches a lot of foreign films), so looks like he missed his chance again. At least he'll see his friend at practice tonight, that will give Kuroo another chance.

This also gives the mp3 player burning a hole in his pocket a chance to turn on by itself.

And what do you know, it fucking turns on by itself.

Kuroo is sitting in his last class of the day, his forehead resting on the edge of his desk. He's supposed to be working through the rest of the math problems on the board, but he'll finish them later. He's still staring at the mp3 player through his pants pocket when it actually lights up. At first he thinks he's imagining things, but he still pulls the corner of the device out of his pocket for a quick look. There it is. The mp3 did it. It actually turned on.

It's telling Kuroo there's a software update on the device. Does he want to update now?

So not quite what Kuroo wanted to see on the screen, but at least he has the opportunity he's been waiting for.

Students are leaving gradually. Once they finish copying the problems on the board they're free to go. Most third year students have prep courses to get to or club practices after school, and teachers are more than happy to end lectures a little earlier than normal. They have their own schedules, after all.

All around him, Kuroo hears chairs being pushed out and students stopping by to collect their friends. Some students, like Kuroo, are still in the room. There's a group of girls still in the corner and a few others sitting by themselves, either still working on the problems on the board or finishing other work they had for the day.

"Did you see that blonde outside of class-1?"

Kuroo's ears perk up at the word 'blonde'.

"He's so tall!"

He picks his head up at the word 'tall'.

"Those glasses make him look so intelligent!"

He stands at the word 'glasses'.

"He could be a model!"

Yup, it's definitely Tsukishima.

Kuroo pokes his head out of his classroom. There he is. Tsukishima shyly glancing in one of the class1 rooms. Kuroo watches him carefully look inside, then move to the next room. There, a few girls stop and wave to him, while one works up enough courage to ask his name. How surprised they would be to know he's only a first year.

"Well, well, well," Kuroo speaks up loud enough for the girls around Tsukishima to scatter.

"Kuroo-san," Tsukishima says, sounding relieved.

"Tsukishima," Kuroo's smile is back on his face. He points to the sign above the classroom the younger boy is standing outside of, "you pegged me for class 1? I'm hurt, Tsukki."

Kuroo's waiting for Tsukishima to make a comment about the nickname, but instead he clears his throat, "what class are you in, then?"

Kuroo turns, walking back to his classroom to gather his things. He's also trying to hide the excitement that Tsukishima is actually at Nekoma high school looking for Kuroo. Well, techincally he's looking for his mp3 player...

"Guess."

Tsukishima knows guessing is pointless since he's being led to the answer anyway.

When Kuroo stops at the last classroom he can't help but feel a little proud. He knows Tsukishima has to be impressed. Right?

"You're kidding."

"Hey! I'm smart, too."

Kuroo starts packing up his paperwork when he hears Tsukishima again, "so you're really not kidding? You're actually in a class 5? You're not just packing up someone else's things for effect?"

Kuroo stops his packing. Rude. "Yah, I'm not packing up someone else's things. These books have my name in them. See for yourself," he shoves his mathematics book in Tsukshima's face, "Kuroo. Testorou. Class 5-5. Hah."

Kuroo mutters under his breath, "packing up someone else's things...pfft."

"Doesn't seem like you have any problems taking other people's things."

Again, he's face to face with the mp3 player.

Tsukishima is holding the (his) mp3 player in one hand, the other resting on his hip. Damn it, Kuroo.

"Oh... is this yours?"

"I would have bought that if we weren't standing in the highest college prep classroom in your high school, Kuroo."

"I-I swear I was going to get it to you. I was going to ask Kenma to get your phone number from shrimpy at practice."

"Hm."

Tsukishima is examining the device, making sure there aren't any scratches on the back or screen. It takes longer than Kuroo thinks is necessary, so he goes back to packing up his schoolwork. Once the device checks out he turns to Kuroo, "I hope you at least listened to something good."

"I didn't listen to it at all!"

"Then why is it on your desk?"

"You had an alert. I was just checking to see what it was. Software update. Go ahead, look."

Tsukishima looks at his device, Kuroo waits for his apology that's due to him.

"It's playing music."

"WHAT!?" Kuroo takes the device from Tsukishima's hand. He hits the button he's been dying to push for the past 24 hours.

The same alert is on the screen. Kuroo has been tricked.

"You think you're clever?" Tsukishima's smirk gives Kuroo the answer. Of course the younger boy had already checked the device to notice the update alert. Kuroo pegs Tsukishima for the type to update his software immediately. Why put up with bothersome alerts when all one has to do is update like the device is asking? Delaying the update will give Kuroo a small form of victory.

Once he hits the 'Not Now' button Tsukishima's lock screen pops up.

Again, he sees himself in the screen, but it's not his reflection. It's a picture. Of Kuroo. He looks like he's smiling something. Probably something stupid Bokuto was doing. When did Tsukshima take this?

Tsukshima realizes his trick has backfired. He immediately takes his mp3 player from Kuroo's hand and thanks him for holding onto it.

Kuroo is too surprised to take advantage of an embarrassed Tsukishima. Normally he would add fuel o the fire, just to see the normally stoic boy flustered. But Kuroo is flustered, too this time.

"So... you missed practice to come here?"

Tsukshima shrugs.

"Just to pick up your mp3 player?"

He shrugs again, but mutters something under his breath.

"What was that?"

Another shrug.

"Well, you got what you came for," Kuroo motions to the device in Tsukishima's hands. "Don't worry, I took good care of it," Kuroo offers a friendly smile, trying to lighten the mood.

"Here."

There's a small piece of paper shoved in Kuroo's face. He takes the paper and sees a phone number scribbled on it.

"I wanted to give this to you, too."


End file.
